Bid bots on eBay ?

[Refrigerator]

I've been looking into building a budget gaming PC and i've decided to get a xeon X5650 or similar processor.
I've found this eBay listing here:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/302669107242?_trksid=p2045573.m570.l5997&_trkparms=gh1g%3DI302669107242.N34.S2.R4.TR4
One problem is that when i bid i instantly get outbid, i've tried this a few times.
Even now, while writing this post i placed a bid and got instantly outbid.
Have any of you had this issue or is it just me? The seller has 28 feedback of 100% which raises suspicion.

[grumpydoc]

Doesn't need to be a "bid bot"

Ebay's normal proxy bidding will do the same.

[imidis]

Yeah, basically you can sat the max you would like to let it bid for you. That items has 7 days on it, most won't bother bidding until that last couple hours, then there is always the ones that get in last minute to take it. Once in a great while I get a deal on something. But most of the time, I am not the winner.

[PA0PBZ]

Automatic bids as you can see by the grey color (and the bidding date/time):

[grumpydoc]

Yeah, basically you can sat the max you would like to let it bid for you. That items has 7 days on it, most won't bother bidding until that last couple hours, then there is always the ones that get in last minute to take it. Once in a great while I get a deal on something. But most of the time, I am not the winner.

I'm very good at getting second place which is annoying because it means I got the value right but some nutter was happy to pay over the odds.

[NivagSwerdna]

One problem is that when i bid i instantly get outbid, i've tried this a few times.

Hm... you don't seem to understand EBAY...  The reason you are being outbid is that the current high bidder entered a value higher than your bid... so your bid was accepted but their higher bid then shows up... effectively you have just nudged up the amount they will have to pay.   You need to understand https://pages.ebay.co.uk/help/buy/bid-increments.html
Also... this auction has 7d to run... you should not be bidding!  All that bidding early does is give other people the chance to nudge up the high bidder's bids to explore their limits or to raise the price and become the high bidder... and subsequently to be outbid etc.  You shouldn't bid until there is so little time left that humans are unable to respond to your bid and out bid you.  So bid only in the last seconds of the auction and when you enter your amount enter a value at which you would be sad to lose... i.e. aim to win at a price you like or to be outbid at a price where you are glad the other person overpaid.
Or just stick to buy it now auctions. 

[Brumby]

One problem is that when i bid i instantly get outbid, i've tried this a few times.
Even now, while writing this post i placed a bid and got instantly outbid.
Have any of you had this issue or is it just me?

It is you - but it is a simple misunderstanding.

EBay's proxy bidding system makes sure you pay no more than you need to to win an auction.  It is NOT like an ordinary auction.

Let's say you bid $25 on an item.  If you notice, eBay calls that your maximum bid amount.  If you place that bid on an item with a $5 starting price, eBay's system will only use $5 as your bid.  The $25 amount is held on eBay's system and is not shown to anybody.

Now let's say someone else wants to bid and they are prepared to throw $100 at it, even though the "Current bid" (yours) is only showing $5.  The eBay system will use as much of that $100 as it needs to beat your bid - which is $25, plus an amount they call the "bid increment".  For $25, the bid increment is $1 - so you will be outbid by an amount of $25 + $1 = $26.

You see that you have been outbid and come back with a bid of $50.  The eBay system then repeats the process and your $50 bid gets beaten by the bid increment and the other person is still winning, but with an amount of $51.  This happens immediately, which is why you get outbid straight away.

Bid again with $60, $70 and $80 and you will get outbid every time.  It's not until you put in a bid that is greater than the other person's maximum bid that you will be winning.

The fun part of this is - you can never know what the other person's maximum bid is until you beat it (or get within the bid increment below it - which is not common).


It is this mechanism that allows someone to put in a big bid amount with the hope that the second highest bidder is not prepared to go as high.

It is important to understand that the final sale price is NOT dependent on the winning bidder.  It is the second highest bidder that sets the price to beat (plus a bid increment).  You could put $1000 on an auction, but if the next highest bidder doesn't go over $100, then you will only have to pay $101.

[wraper]

That's why smart people use bid sniping services to place a bid in last few seconds. Otherwise not so smart people who cannot decide what max value they are ready to bid start bidding wars thus causing items go for more. If there are enough dumb people to start bidding war, items go for more than you could get instantly by "buy it now".

[imidis]

Any recommendations on a sniping service?

[PA0PBZ]

Any recommendations on a sniping service?

Why? Just put in the maximum you want to pay for the item and be done with it.

[Lightages]

http://www.jbidwatcher.com/

[Brumby]

Also... this auction has 7d to run... you should not be bidding!  All that bidding early does is give other people the chance to nudge up the high bidder's bids to explore their limits or to raise the price and become the high bidder... and subsequently to be outbid etc.  You shouldn't bid until there is so little time left that humans are unable to respond to your bid and out bid you.  So bid only in the last seconds of the auction and when you enter your amount enter a value at which you would be sad to lose... i.e. aim to win at a price you like or to be outbid at a price where you are glad the other person overpaid.

This is the way to minimise the amount you pay.  It's called "sniping".  Some people complain about it - but it is quite legal and complaining only shows that they were too timid in their bidding.  As said above, a snipe bid is a one shot effort right at the very end where you make a single bid that is at the highest end of what you are prepared to pay - and if it gets beaten, then you can live with the fact that the other guy paid too much.  This approach is called "Bidding for a win and hoping for a bargain".

Leaving a long time before the auction ends allows what is called a "bidding war" where several bids over a number of days pushes the price up a little at a time.  People can get carried away with this and the price can climb up to silly amounts.  They get uncomfortable putting an amount of $100 on an item that's only at $10, so they will try and win by "nibbling" - only putting in just enough to beat the other guy.  This approach is called "Bidding for a bargain and hoping for a win" and is next to completely useless against a snipe bid.

[Brumby]

Any recommendations on a sniping service?

Why? Just put in the maximum you want to pay for the item and be done with it.

Why?  It is very simple.  If you put in your maximum bid 3 days out, then other bidders have 3 days to nibble away at it.  If you place it 3 seconds out, then you aren't giving anyone a chance to do that.

[grumpydoc]

http://www.jbidwatcher.com/

+1

[NivagSwerdna]

That's why smart people use bid sniping services to place a bid in last few seconds.

I use www.gixen.com ($6/yr paid option) (previously I used jbidwatcher but the latency between myself and ebay was always a bit dodgy)

[Peabody]

I agree that sniping is the only effective way to bid on Ebay.  Only enter one bid during the last 10 seconds of the auction.  Enter the maximum amount you are willing to pay.  If you win, what you actually pay will be one bid increment above the runner up's bid.  Any other method only gives other bidders information about your intentions, and bids up the price.

[grumpydoc]

I agree that sniping is the only effective way to bid on Ebay.  Only enter one bid during the last 10 seconds of the auction.  Enter the maximum amount you are willing to pay.  If you win, what you actually pay will be one bid increment above the runner up's bid.  Any other method only gives other bidders information about your intentions, and bids up the price.

Used this way it effectively becomes a sealed bid system - with the slight variation that it is the 2nd highest bidder who sets the price, as you observe.

Once  you understand this it is fine.

[wraper]

I agree that sniping is the only effective way to bid on Ebay.  Only enter one bid during the last 10 seconds of the auction.  Enter the maximum amount you are willing to pay.  If you win, what you actually pay will be one bid increment above the runner up's bid.  Any other method only gives other bidders information about your intentions, and bids up the price.

I only would advise placing a small bid before that to enter the bidding of particular item if you don't bid domestically. Just to ensure that everything works fine. I had many cases when sniped bid was refused by the system for reasons like shipping address does not work for this item. I missed the item, while actually I could use address in different country or write a message to the seller.

[edpalmer42]

Any recommendations on a sniping service?

Why? Just put in the maximum you want to pay for the item and be done with it.

Why?  It is very simple.  If you put in your maximum bid 3 days out, then other bidders have 3 days to nibble away at it.  If you place it 3 seconds out, then you aren't giving anyone a chance to do that.

The other advantage to bid sniping is that there's no time for you to convince yourself to raise your earlier bid that wasn't high enough.  Your accountant will thank you.   

[mdijkens]

...placing a small bid before that to enter the bidding of particular item if you don't bid domestically. Just to ensure that everything works fine...

Thats what I do:
- See something interesting; place smallest bid; don't care you lose. Then you tested the bidding works and have a reminder from eBay later on
- Place max willing bid 25 sec before (just enough to be sure, to short for others to rethink their max)
- Be happy when you lose !  You did not pay more then you wanted !

[imidis]

Thanks, went with gixen, tested it this morning. 

[oldway]

Some rules that I always follow for the purchase of electronic equipment on ebay:

1) Never buy what you do not really need.
2) always inquire about the new price and the used price before making an offer
3) Always consider that the device is faulty even if the announcement says the opposite.
4) Make an offer at the end of the auction based on the maximum one is willing to pay .... not to be dragged into the game of bidding.
6) Pay attention to hidden fees. (customs duties, import tax, and so on ...)
7) Look at the seller's profile.
Do not hesitate to consult the seller in case of doubt.

[BravoV]

Some rules that I always follow for the purchase of electronic equipment on ebay:

1) Never buy what you do not really need.
2) always inquire about the new price and the used price before making an offer
3) Always consider that the device is faulty even if the announcement says the opposite.
4) Make an offer at the end of the auction based on the maximum one is willing to pay .... not to be dragged into the game of bidding.
6) Pay attention to hidden fees. (customs duties, import tax, and so on ...)
7) Look at the seller's profile.
Do not hesitate to consult the seller in case of doubt.

+1 , and at the end, its the item no 4 does matter, how much you are willing to pay, that is it, not even 1 cent more.

If you loose, then just walk off and let go, don't be agitated or annoyed, your life is not worth consumed by burning your brain in anger and bad mood just because you lost the bidding.

[grumpydoc]

I'm very good at getting second place which is annoying because it means I got the value right but some nutter was happy to pay over the odds.

It could mean there was just one other nutter willing to pay a higher price than the second highest bidding nutter. And they were both paying over the odds.

 

Except that I usually pip third place quite closely, but point taken.

[HighVoltage]

I use a sniper that bids 3 to 5 seconds before an auction ends.
Sometimes I win, sometimes I loose but I always stay with the set limit.

[Electro Detective]

Yeah, basically you can sat the max you would like to let it bid for you. That items has 7 days on it, most won't bother bidding until that last couple hours, then there is always the ones that get in last minute to take it. Once in a great while I get a deal on something. But most of the time, I am not the winner.

I'm very good at getting second place which is annoying because it means I got the value right but some nutter was happy to pay over the odds.

No shortage of nutters    on Ebay, bidding beyond reason  $$$ = 

sometimes an unscrupulous seller may use an alias account/s (cough...) or 'friends'  trying to get the end price pumped up (Bidders War) 

or boozed up p0rn surfers spotting a shiny tool bargain, fired up in casino mode, determined to 'win' this time around 


I put in my bid for what an item is worth to me, and check Ebay every few days for progress, and if a similar item is newly listed in case I lose or get outbid early by someone very keen   

Better things to do to get the blood flowing that sit around playing sniper games    

and last minute win  or  lose     time wasting 

[CNe7532294]

I'm pretty sure there are bots just not the one the original poster is describing. Its mainly advertising bots and data collection. We see this with our notification email. Ebay used to be great without this many years ago if you were a buyer. If you're a seller this is a godsend. For buyer side of things, I take the extra steps and just use a webpage screenshot extension/addon so I only view the listing once. This helps avoid the bots "detecting popularity" of the listing. I also do not save my searches and clear my browser of any cookies or whatever (tracking). I use google then use the "cache" option to view a listing again if I need to. I also clear the cookies and history for that as well. As for sniping I just do it myself. At the very last possible second (literally 1-2 seconds left). Just be sure to have a good internet connection if you don't use a sniping service.

[Muttley Snickers]

Something that I have only just encountered on Ebay are these deceitful and misleading daily deal listings, the items are displayed with a low starting price and appear to be available via the normal bidding and auction process but this is in fact not the case and further digging and a click on the "Show Details" icon reveals that the entire thing is just a fucking bullshit click bait listing where a "buy it now for this amount and bids will be removed" banner is displayed. This garbage is a complete waste of peoples time and needs to stop.

One of his many bullshit listings below and don't forget to check out his other bullshit listings, whilst about it do yourself a favour by saving this moronic seller for future avoidance.

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/LeCroy-LT374M-waverunner-500-MHz-Digital-Oscilloscope-3/183131194162?

[imidis]

Wow, that's nuts.

[Muttley Snickers]

Wow, that's nuts.

Yep, I noticed another one of his, her or its oscilloscope listings yesterday but it didn't seem quite right and then it showed up again this morning, most of these listings are stating free postage with the seller based in Sydney yet the feedback page indicates that this plonker is somewhere in the US.

[Brumby]

I saw it earlier today and when I went to check something again a few minutes later, it was gone.  It would have disappeared sometime in the last 2 hours.

[grumpydoc]

Sigh, 2nd placed bidder again 

[wraper]

I'm not seing that listing now. Was it reported and removed?

Probably, I reported it, likely among others.

[Harb]

Its all pretty easy really......if it sounds to good to be true it most likely is........
There are no free lunches, and with Ebay you will pay market price, and thats it unless you happen to get lucky and buy a non working item that actually works on arrival, but most of the time its the other way round......an item sold as working doesn't.....

[Galenbo]

Doesn't need to be a "bid bot"

Ebay's normal proxy bidding will do the same.

Ebay's "proxy bidding" system is an AI bot that receives your wallet size, and produces an outcome to produce maximum profit for the bot, while staying on the edge so 70% of the people still "believe" it is genuine.

[wraper]

Doesn't need to be a "bid bot"

Ebay's normal proxy bidding will do the same.

Ebay's "proxy bidding" system is an AI bot that receives your wallet size, and produces an outcome to produce maximum profit for the bot, while staying on the edge so 70% of the people still "believe" it is genuine.

[imidis]

Found another

https://www.ebay.ca/itm/LECROY-WaveRunner-204MXi-4-Channel-2-GHz-10-GSs-Oscilloscope-Calibrated/123026456062?hash=item1ca4f2bdfe:g:HLMAAOSww1harUmg

[wraper]

It actually not just crap practice. When you enter your details to send the "message" to buy, you are already doing this off ebay website.

[imidis]

Yeah, it's sketchy. I don't know how these people manage to stay on ebay with those practices.

[Muttley Snickers]

I suspect there is some funny business going on, that listing posted above by imidis was the original one that caught my attention but now from a different seller, also the same is that the seller has many thousands of other various items on offer, yesterday it was over 1100 bicycles all with different backgrounds in the pictures indicating that the images belonged to other perhaps genuine listings.

[Harb]

This is the exact same scam that was on Ebay last weekend......... A few of us reported it and it was taken down over the next few hours........they are even using the same items !! its a typical one where they are using an image as the link to a buy now deal,
If you have a look you will notice all the "Deals" are the same price, and you can only do business buy using the buy now in the description....its done by stealing someones ID, usually a big Ebay player to get "credentials".......the images are stolen from the net , Ebay itself or captured from YouTube video's

[Muttley Snickers]

Another listing below, it now appears that someone is possibly hacking other peoples accounts and keeping the Ebay enforcement staff busy for a change, they normally do very little from my experience. I might give Ebay a big bypass until all this bullshit stuff is properly sorted out, innocent sellers through no fault of their own could be permanently affected by these arseholes. 

Another bullshit listing, the seller could be genuine and legitimate for all we know.
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/LECROY-WaveRunner-204MXi-4-Channel-2-GHz-10-GSs-Oscilloscope-Calibrated/282888582196?

[kaz911]

the scammers have found a good source of eBay username/passwords to "high" value accounts. I have reported two today - one was taken down right away - the other is still online.

Always same pictures - same text more or less. But now they are hiding the "image based" text you have to click to view.

[Refrigerator]

Wow, that's nuts.

Yep, I noticed another one of his, her or its oscilloscope listings yesterday but it didn't seem quite right and then it showed up again this morning, most of these listings are stating free postage with the seller based in Sydney yet the feedback page indicates that this plonker is somewhere in the US.

Those damn yankees, amirite?